The America's Cup is heading for RAK. What's that all about?
by Olivier Auroy, gsFitch Dubai on 13 Aug 2009
Ras al-Khaimah, in the United Arab Emirates is located at the entrance to the Persian Gulf Google Earth
Ras al Khaimah’s selection as the venue for the America’s Cup has given the emirate a splendid chance to get its message as a tourist brand out to the world. The America’s Cup is slated to take place in Ras al Khaimah next February. The emirate’s unexpected selection as the home for the world-renowned race is a formidable move by RAK Tourism.
Ras al Khaimah has ambitions in the tourism sector, although it has largely been out-shouted by its two more vocal brothers, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. So, how can Ras al Khaimah get out its message, that it also has great potential as a leisure and tourism destination? The emirate’s first hurdle is that it lack awareness. People simply do not know who or where it is, so it needs an event, an exhibition or show to put it on the map. The America’s Cup is a good call to action.
If Ras al Khaimah is about “achieving performances in the best possible environment”, there could not be a better sports event than the America’s Cup. Sailing naturally embraces values such as team spirit, speed and excellence. The America’s Cup elevates these values to a higher level. The fact that the Alinghi racing yacht, the F1 of the sea, has to fly over the Alps by helicopter and cross continents to reach Ras al Khaimah adds to the dramatic intensity.
The buzz around the emirate’s selection is already quite loud, much louder than the hoopla that engulfed Valencia, the home of the last cup, at the same time. Think of what the Formula One Grand Prix did for Bahrain. It basically introduced Bahrain to the world.
The America’s Cup will not only give Ras al Khaimah an instant and powerful boost of notoriety, but it will also put its message in front of millions of potential customers, investors and visitors. If competitor BMW-Oracle validates Alinghi’s choice of venue, Ras al Khaimah could join Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Oman as members of a premier tourism league in the region that not only includes the Gulf, but the entire Middle East and India.
Full story:
www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090812/BUSINESS/708129964/1005
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